Reed trimmer



July 5, 1927. w. MAJESKI 1,635,004

REED TRIMMER Filed Feb.2 8. 192s INV ENTOR Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES WALTER MAJESKI, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

REED TRIMMER.

Application filed February v The invention relates in general to a reed clipper or trimmerof the .type usually car ried by a musician using a reedlinstrument for the purpose of. trimming or reshaping the thin vibratory end -of thewooden reed forining part of the mouth piece of a satiaphone or similar musical instrument.

The primary object of the invention is to provide asimple form of reed clipper which can be made ofsmall-sizesoas to fit in the musicians pocket, which will be light in weight and which can be used to easily and quickly :trim the .ree'd end to the exactcurvature required.

Another object of the invention is .to provide a :form of clipper which will facilitate the locating of the reed exactly in the position required to ;give the requisite overlap- ;ping-of the cutting'edgesand thus insure an eextremely rSlTlfllldJllll uniform amount of material-cut fromthe reed when'c'lipped while being held inaccurately located position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partiobvious from an inspection :of :the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particulardescription of'one form of device embodying my invention, and the invent-ion also consists .in certain .newand novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure lcisaplan viewof one form ofin- .strument constituting .a preferred .embodiv ment of the invention and which view may be. regarded indifierently with the showingin Figure ies the underside.

Figure .2 is a "view in side elevat'on of the structureshown in Figure :1. V

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3 3of Figure 4, looking in the direction indicated by the (arrows; and I Figure- 4 is a .plan view :showing the ob verse side of the device from theshowing in Figure Land which -.view willbe-generally regarded as thereed receiving ortop side of theinstrument. i

I The clipper is formed primarilyof a sin- ;gle sheetof metal, preferablysteeh-of any suitable outline and he-rein having the or- .namentalappearance-of: a musical harp.

.In the following description and in the (claims, parts will be identified by specific names foreonvenience ofexpression but they as, 1925. Serial m. 12,305.

are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. The metal blank is slit within its outlines and partly cutaway to provide the desired design and to form an endless main portion 10, hereinafter identified as a body portion. Extending centrally and longitudinally of the body portion and confined within its Secure-d to the rear side of the finger 11 and projecting beyond the cutting edge 13 thereof is a broad finger piece 14. This finger piece overlaps one end of the body portion,.as.shown in Figure 3, and as :the

finger is moved towards the body portion into its cutting position the finger piece engages the body portion and thus limits the movement of the finger piece from moving beyondrthe plane of the .body portion. i

In such construction it .isdesirable to provide guide means for engaging the edgeof the reed".R and for this purpose marginal guides :15 and 16are provided. The guide 15 .is formed asa stamping pressed from the body ,portion in spaced relation .tolthe cutting edge 12 and thestop .1'6 isconveniently formed by pressing anextension from one edge-of the finger piece 14 througha slot 17 .fOllllGClOll the edge of ;the finger adjacent its cutting edge 13.

In order to .limit the longitudinal advance of the reed R past the cutting edges 13 and .14 anrendstop 18 is provided. This stop is the inturne d .fiange of an L-shaped lever .19 .rockablyinounted. The lever includes ,ailong leg 20 extendinglongitudinally :along thebaclcofithe finger-piece 14:. The lever is roekably mounted .on a strap 21 .formediintegralwith the finger piece 14, ex- ;tending across and. fittingin a transverse groove .22 'formedxon e the -.back of .the leg ,20zofthe lever. .The free .end of .the stop .1.8.is.disposed opposite the bodyportion just in advance I of the cutting .edge 12 and extends through a slot 23 formed in the finger piece.

In operation and assuming that the parts are in the normal. position as shown in the eral figures, the operator inserts the reed in position on top or the linger piece as shown in Figure st and moves the same laterally until the reed engages the stops l5 and it. The reed is then advanced longitudinally while in engagement with the guides 15 and 16 until the thin end of the reed to be cut engages the stop 18.

The linger piece Ill and opposite end of the body portion are pinched together, as shown by the direction oil the small arrow in, Figure 3, thus clipping oil a rounded portion of the end of the reed as shown in dotted line in Figure il. With the advance of the finger the stop 16 engages the body portion and is rocked upwardly from the position shown in Figure 3 thus permitting the advance of the cutting end of the finger into shearing relation with the edge 12. Re leasing tension on the parts permits the linger 11 to spring back into its normal position otlset from the body portion and the instrument; is again in position to have the end of the reed re-trinnned.

It possible by engaging the stop lever with the finger engaging the. finger piece 1% to rock the stop into the slot and out oi its reed stopping position thus permitting the advance of the reed edge to be clipped beyond the position defined by the stop. In this case a longer clip is to be taken ofif the reed end and the reed can be trimmed back for any desired distance. However, it is quite convenient to have the stop for it insures a mininnnn amount of rc-trinnning and the three stops 15, 16 and 18 co-act to definitely locate the reed in position as well as measure the clip cut oil from the reed.

While I have shown and described, and have pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the Form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l. A clipper for trimming the ends of reeds, comprising a body port-ion having a cutting edge, a member movable transversely relative thereto and provided with a coacting cutting edge, said member provided with a linger piece secured to the side thereof opposite the body portion and providing an otiset continuation of said member, said finger piece provided with a slot, a lever provided with an inturned end extending through the slot and spaced in advance of the cutting edge on said member to form a stop for the end of the reed to be clipped, a strap for rockably mounting the lever in position on the linger piece to permit said stop to be removed from its position in advance oi. the cutting edges when the member advanced towards the body portion.

2. A clipper for trinnning the ends of reeds, comprising a flat body portion, a finger integral therewith and normally extending angularly from the plane of the body portion, said body portion and finger coacting to provide a pair of shearing edges for forming a curved end to a reed, a finger piece secured to the linger and lapping the body portion, said body portion provided with a guide, said finger provided with a guide, said guides co acting to align the reed in position relative to said shearing edges, an L-shaped lever rockably secured to the linger piece and having a laterally extending end constituting a stop for limiting the advance ot the reed beyond the co-acting cutting edges, said stop spaced slightly in advance of the cutting edge of the linger and adapted to be moved into an inoperative position when moved with the linger into engagement with the body portion.

3. A clipper for trimming the ends of reeds, comprising a body portion provided with a cutting edge, a resilient finger provided with a co-acting cutting edge, guiding means for locating the reed transversely of its length, a stop for locating the reed longitudinally in position with the end to be clipped overlapping said co-acting cutting edges, and a finger piece constituting a continuation of the end of the finger provided with the cutting edge and offset; therefrom, said finger piece lapping the body portion and constituting a stop for limiting the movement 01 the linger toward the body portion on its cutting movement.

l. A clipper for trimming the ends of reeds, comprising a flat body portion, a finger integral therewith and normally extending angularly from the plane oi? the body portion, said body portion and linger coacting to provide a pair of shearing edges for forming a curved end to a reed, afinger piece secured to the finger laterally ofiset therefrom and lapping the body portion, said body portion provided with a guide, said finger provided with a guide, said guides co-acting to align the reed in position relative to said shearing edges.

5. A clipper for trimming the ends of reeds, comprising a body portion provided with a cutting edge, a resilient finger integral therewith provided with a co-acting cutting edge, guiding means for locating the reed transversely of its length and a stop carried by the resilient finger and movable therewith for locating the reed longitudinally in position with the end to be clipped overlapping said co-acting cutting edges.

ltlt) 6. A clipper for trimming the ends of reeds, comprising a one-piece metal blank slit within its outlines to form a body portion and a co-actingresilient finger provided at its free end with a curved cutting edge normally disposed in position offset from the plane of the body portion and adapted when pressed into the plane of the body portion to fit a co-acting cutting edge formed on the 10 body portion, said cutting edges co-acting to out a curved end to a reed held between the cutting edges, and guiding means including a stamping integral with the metal blank for locating the reed in position to have its end shaped by said cutting edges.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of February A. D. 1925.

WALTER MAJ ESKI. 

